Distribución postmortem del acetato y etanol en cadáveres humanos tras el consumo de etanol y drogas de abuso
- Girela López, Eloy
- Irigoyen Reyes, Pilar
- Hernández Cueto, Claudio
- Luna del Castillo, Juan de Dios
- Villanueva Cañadas, Enrique
ISSN: 0365-7965
Year of publication: 2012
Tome: 97
Issue: 787
Pages: 16-20
Type: Article
More publications in: Actualidad médica
Abstract
Introduction: This paper assesses the value of acetate as a marker of ethanol consumption in post-mortem samples. Materials and methods: Ethanol and acetate concentration and distribution in several fluids (peripheral blood, vitreous humour, pericardial fluid and urine) and tissues (brain, lungs, liver and kidneys) were studied in 98 cadavers from routine medico-legal autopsies. Results: Presence of ethanol was the most significant variable related to the increase in acetate levels in most specimens (p<0.0001), except for urine and brain. Furthermore, presence of drugs of abuse showed a particularly significant increase of acetate levels in lungs and pericardial fluid (p< 0.0001). Conclusions: These preliminary results showed that high concentrations of acetate in blood and liver, but particularly Brain Acetate/Blood Acetate ratios < 2 and Kidney Acetate/Blood Acetate ratios < 2.5, were characteristic of ethanol consumption.